


Tale as Old as Time

by stormpilotasfuck



Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2018 [4]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Beauty and the Beast, Ficlet, Fluff, M/M, Nightsister - Freeform, Poe is a Gammorean, SWWA, Stormpilot, fairytale, force-spell, sorcery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 01:11:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13823313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormpilotasfuck/pseuds/stormpilotasfuck
Summary: SWWA prompt - Fairytale.  Stormpilot, Beauty and the Beast style!





	Tale as Old as Time

Poe sat alone in his tower.

He looked out upon his land, once alive with the sound of birdsong within the green canopy that stretched as far as the eye could see. Now, it was a wasteland of death, bitterly cold and dripping with the smell of fear.

His rich and fertile Kingdom of Yavin IV had been visited by a Nightsister, using the force to disguise herself as a lowly peasant. When she was not granted help from the people of the Kingdom, she drained the life from the land and transformed it's inhabitants into droids, all apart from their leader, Poe. 

Poe's chiseled, handsome features had been bloated and distorted into a Gammorean, with a thick hide and black, beady eyes. He could no longer stand his bulbous appearance and had smashed all reflective surfaces in his realm in deep shame.

The Nightsister had left with a promise; that the dark powers at work would be lifted if Poe were to find true love by the fifth cycle of her visit. Otherwise, all hope was lost at returning to their former life.

He snorted at the cool, damp air at his window and surveyed the land below. It was barren, tree skeletons littering its terrain and wampa rats feeding on anything that moved. He was ashamed of his land, and of himself. How would he ever break free of this dark grasp?

 

\--------------------

 

In the distance, a ship came into sight as it entered Yavin IV's atmosphere through the thick clouds, smoke trailing from its rear. A single TIE fighter. More Dark Side trash. They had already taken everything from him, he would not let them mock him in his own Kingdom. He watched as it fell through the sky and landed in a swamp at the outskirts of his base walls.

"Get me to that ship!" he bellowed and threw himself down the tower stairs to his speeder. Gonk droids stirred into action, not helping in any way but reminding their leader that he wasn't totally alone.

He reached the swamp edge, it's putrid stench stinging his nostrils, and stopped his speeder to survey the damage of the TIE fighter. It had taken a single hit and wasn't in terrible shape - he was sure it was salvageable. He stood ankle deep in the black water, his fat, calloused hands resting on his hips. A small sound pricked his little ears, and he strained to identify it. It sounded human.

Survivors. Why hadn't he checked for survivors? He clambered to the front of the ship and poked his head through the smashed paneling. His heart skipped a beat. There, slumped in the pilot's seat, was a man. He wore a stormtrooper's uniform but his helmet was missing. Stormtroopers weren't permitted to pilot, surely?

He grabbed at the man, his dark skin beading sweat and his temple glistening with blood. He groaned softly, still alive.

"Stormtrooper!" Poe yelled in the man's face. "Stormtrooper!"

"I'm... I'm not. Where..." The man opened his eyes for a moment and they fell on Poe's, causing him to freeze. He hadn't seen another human in over four full cycles, let alone had eye contact with one. The man's dark eyes were pained and frightened, but Poe didn't sense any disgust at his disfigured form as he'd expected from any human who beheld him. The man looked at him, raised his hand to Poe's rolled face and whispered: "help me."

Poe hated the First Order. Why would he help a Stormtrooper? He looked at the man's face as his eyes slowly closed, his head sliding further down the seat. 

This was not an ordinary Stormtrooper, nor an ordinary situation. Poe unbuckled the belt at the man's waist and hauled him over his shoulder, carefully lowering them out of the cockpit and trudging back to the speeder. His Gammorean form took up so much space on the speeder that he had to drape the Trooper across his lap to prevent the body from falling off. He gently laid one hand on the man's back to steady him.

"What are you doing Poe, what are you doing?" He repeated to himself on the short trip back to the base. The last stranger who had entered his Kingdom had destroyed his life. Looking down at the limp body across his legs, blood trickling from his plasteel armor and dripping onto Poe's bulbous foot, he tried to lock away the hope that his man would be the key to undo the dark work that plagued his land.

 

\--------------------

 

"Update?" Poe bellowed as he entered the medical chamber, forcing loitering droids out of his way. Medical droids worked on the man, stripped of his armor and lying in a shallow layer of bacta. One of the droids let out a string of binary and Poe nodded. "Good," he grunted, "I need to know who he is." He trailed his rough finger down the man's face, his features soft and beautiful.

The man stirred and Poe recoiled his touch. The dark eyes flicked open, fear quickly returning to them, searching the room for any indication of where he was. They fell on Poe's, and froze.

"Where... where am I?" he whispered softly.

"Yavin IV," Poe grunted back. "Why did you come here?"

"You pulled me from the ship." Fin's eyes held the Gammorean's. Poe nodded. "You saved me."

Poe shifted his weight, suddenly very self-aware, embarrassment creeping up his spine to his cheeks at the man's apparent gratitude. He wasn't sure if Gammoreans blushed, but he hoped not.

"Why are you here?" he repeated.

"I... I escaped. I stole a TIE fighter and escaped. Barely." his face winced in pain and he attempted to sit up, Poe offering a hand to drag him up.

"You escaped the First Order?" Poe asked, trying to mask his amazement. "They'll come back for you." The man was still holding onto his hand, steadying himself with it as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. 

Poe closed his eyes. "You're naked." He said softly, as the service droids whirred in with a pile of clothes. 

"Oh kriff, I'm naked!" The man grabbed at the clothes as a medical droid removed the bacta gel from his back. He dragged a shirt over his head, and pulled on a pair of black pants. They fit him perfectly. "I'm dressed."

Poe lifted his eyes to look at the man, his form beautifully hugged by his favorite shirt that he could no longer wear. He felt a pang of sadness and a renewed pit of shame in his gut at his current appearance. 

"I'm FN-2187," the man said, extending his hand to the beast. Not once had he shown any disgust towards the Gammorean. Poe extended his hand.

"I'm not calling you FN-2187, if you're no longer a Stormtrooper," Poe said sternly. "Finn. I'm going to call you Finn."

"Finn. Yeah, I like that." the stranger smiled.

"I'm Master Dameron." He shook his hand curtly, then turned to exit the medical chamber. "Be ready for dinner in the main hall at sundown," he said over his shoulder, leaving the man alone, in his clothes, with his droids whirring around him.

 

\--------------------

 

Finn sat in the medical chamber for most of the day, not knowing where to go or what to do, suddenly without instruction for the first time in his life. A service droid directed him to a private chamber, sparse but comfortable, and he found everything he needed in a set of small drawers under a mirror. The service droid bumped into his ankles and pushed him towards the drawers, prompting him to pull out the contents and inspect the clothing within.

"Who do these belong to?" he asked the droid. He only understood a small amount of binary, and couldn't piece together the droid's response. Master, change, dark side.

It was almost sundown, so he put on a fresh shirt and slipped on a leather jacket he found in a wardrobe. It was worn and comfortable, and Finn inhaled the musky scent on its leather.

He followed the service droid, passing many droids on the way, to a large hall with an ornate table, adorned with carvings of wildflowers and birds. He ran his fingers slowly over the wooden details and looked around the dark room, noticing faded paintings on the ceilings above him, rich curtains pulled shut and the glint of dulled gold in the decorations on the walls. He walked to the wall and drew his hand across the soft, red material of the curtain, pulling it back slightly, allowing a slither of light to penetrate the room. The doors burst open behind him.

"What do you think you're doing?" the Gammorean bellowed, marching directly for him, gripping his wrist and pulling him away from the curtain. "You are not to touch anything, change anything, or open anything," he spat. 

Finn's eyes were wide with fear. Poe opened his hand to release the man's wrist and stepped back. "Sit," he commanded, and service droids brought in plates of algae pudding.

They sat silently at the table, their eyes meeting intermittently, Poe dropping his to the bowl before him. Finn attempted to talk with him several times, asking about the base, it's former crew, Poe's life there, and all questions were met with a grunt.

"You're asking too many questions," Poe spat through his mouthful, saliva dripping from his chops. 

"I'm sorry, I'd just like to know who my host is. And besides, you saved me, I'm grateful." Finn beamed the Gammorean a beautiful smile, the breath stalling in Poe's chest. He felt as though he could melt. But, he was only smiling because he'd saved him, not because he liked him. What was there to like about a grotesque beast?

"Can you show me around the base after dinner?" Finn enquired, his eyes bright in the dim light of the room.

Poe hated himself. He wished he were a man again, a man who could befriend this stunning ray of light who'd fallen from the sky. He hated the Nightsister who had transformed him. He thought about her force-spell, and that he had less than half a cycle to reverse it, or they would remain in disfigurement for the rest of their lives. His stomach churned in despair. 

"Not tonight. Return to your chamber," he commanded, and the service droids scurried around Finn's feet to deliver him to his room. 

Poe sat at the table in the dark for a long moment, the look of disappointment on Finn's face playing in his head before he was whisked away. He smashed his fist against the table and marched back to his tower, resuming his position at the window, gazing out at the empty spaces where life once dwelled.

 

\--------------------

 

Seven short cycles passed, and Poe began to pass the day in anticipation of his nightly dinner with Finn. The stranger had continued to ask questions, and Poe had answered selectively, without giving away the story of their demise. 

On the tenth night, Poe took the man around the grounds of the base. They walked together, through the forest of death, kicking wampa rats away with every few steps. Finn laughed, and found beauty in the twist of the skeleton trees. He hadn't seen trees up close before, and he didn't seem to care that they were dead. Poe felt a warmth in his chest that he hadn't felt since he was human. Finn's laughter made the hair on his coarse skin stand on end, a bolt of what he could only identify as happiness ripping through him. 

He took him to a field that was once covered in deep orange wildflowers and described it's former glory. Finn gazed out across the field, a wide grin on his face, listening intently to Poe's words. Poe let his eyes wander across the ex-stormtroopers features, his chest rising and falling softly, and his hips, hands resting on them. He had worn Poe's leather jacket every night since his arrival. He missed his jacket, the weight of it hugging his form, and the life he led while wearing it. 

He approached Finn slowly, without thinking, and placed a hand carefully on his shoulder, savoring the feel of the leather against his rough fingertips. Finn turned to him slowly, unfazed by his proximity to him.

Finn watched Poe's eyes dance along the seams of the jacket. 

"Who did this belong to?" He asked softly.

Poe sighed heavily. "Someone selfish, and unwise. Someone who thought he was invincible but lost everything." He raised his eyes to Finn's, the sweet face furrowed in concern. 

"Will he return for it?" Finn asked.

"I hope so, one day maybe. But in the meantime, it's yours. It suits you." Poe attempted a smile, and realized that his face had forgotten how to. He bore his teeth, and Finn let out a giggle at his strain.

A cracking sound jolted them from their moment, Poe spinning around to see a TIE fighter heading towards them. 

"A patrol ship!" he yelled, grabbing Finn's arm and pulling him behind him towards the forest of dead, twisted trees.

"I was wondering when they'd come for me," Finn said desperately, clinging to Poe's arm as the lone fighter swooped over them, disintegrating trees around them as they ran.

The scout turned back and delivered another line of shots at their scampering feet. They were close to the base, they had to make it, Poe told himself.

Poe felt Finn drop behind him, his hands grasping at his old wound, not yet fully healed within. The Gammorean grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder, running to the fortified wall of the base. He turned back to see the TIE fighter swooping back towards them a third time, and he ran through the opening of the wall, lowering Finn down behind it, and ran to the opposite side of the gate to lure them away. 

The shooting resumed, and Poe ran as fast as he could away from his groaning friend. A shot landed at his feet and threw his body against the wall, his head hitting the stone with a sickening thud.

The TIE fighter burned past a final time, delivering another round of shots at the wall before disappearing through the atmosphere back to its fleet.

Finn's ears rang, his head throbbing, a searing pain ripping through his body. He blinked through the dust of the impact and strained to find Poe. 

"Master Dameron" he called. "Dameron." His calls were met with silence. He pulled himself along the wall and across to the rubble past the gate. A dusty foot poked out of the pile of stones that was once a wall, and Finn ripped himself to his knees and gritted his teeth through the pain. He lifted the rocks from his friend, faster and faster, throwing them aside as he revealed more of Poe's battered body. He lifted a stone from his chest and heard a soft gasp, then silence. He cried his host's name as he scrambled at the rocks, some of them now smeared with blood.

He sobbed. Poe's body was grey with dust, save a river of blood flowing from a gash in his head. He sat beside Poe's shoulders, and lowered his head to his mouth, and felt the feather of a breath. 

"Master Dameron" he repeated, holding the Gammorean's hand, tears washing away the dust in rivulets down his cheeks. 

A small sound escaped the dying host's lips. Finn leaned down close. "Master Dameron?" he whimpered.

"Poe" the Gammorean whispered, his breath becoming shallow and labored.

Finn wiped his eyes. "Poe" he repeated, and gently lowered himself down once more, to place his soft lips upon his. He sobbed, tears staining the Gammorean's face.

Poe was the first creature to ever show him kindness, to ever allow him to imagine something better. And he gave him his name.

Finn kissed the back of the hand he was still clasping onto, and stood up slowly, gripping his freshly retorn wound.

His head turned at a sound behind him, and he spun around, met by a woman in deep purple gowns of haze sweeping around her.

"You pulled him from darkness back into the light," she whispered, without making a sound. "What was once lost, will be returned." 

She disappeared into a purple orb, hovering above Poe's body, rising and falling as if it were breathing. Streaks of light reached down from the orb around Poe, engulfing him in a purple aura. His body twitched, the light intensifying, and Finn watched, mouth agape, unable to move, as the Gammorean form shrunk in the rubble. 

The light dimmed and dissipated, releasing Finn to move forward. He lurched down to where Poe's body was, his eyes filled with tears. His hand reached out and felt warm skin that reacted to his touch, and his heart leaped with joy that his savior was still alive. 

"Finn" rasped a soft voice. Finn blinked and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt, opening them to a beautiful, olive-skinned man lying beneath him. His dark hair hung in soft curls around his face, his jawline strong and chiseled, his eyes warm and fixed on Finn.

"I don't... I don't understand," Finn stammered to himself. The man sat up and held Finn's shoulder's gently, gazing into his eyes.

"It's me, Poe. You lifted the darkness. You saved us all," the man beamed a grateful smile at Finn.

"Poe?" Finn ran his fingers down the man's face, grazing across his stubbled chin. He smiled back. "What do you mean us all?"

Beyond the wall, the door of the base burst open and people flooded out of it, cheering and crying, embracing each other as the clouds rolled from the sky above them and the light of the sun hit the dirt at their feet. Leaves of deep green and flowers of orange sprung from the ground, and the gnarled trees untwisted their branches and raised them skyward in celebration.

"Master Dameron!" a voice cried, and a dark-haired woman ran to embrace him. "You freed us!"

"Jessika" the man laughed, throwing his arms around her. She pulled back, spinning, then dropped into a curtsey.

"I am a gonk droid no more!" she cried, and skipped to embrace another laughing human.

Finn stood, mouth agape at the scene before him, the death dripping away and life bursting forth. Poe stood up carefully, steadying himself with Finn's arm. They were the same height now, and roughly the same build. He wrapped his arms around Finn's waist and buried his face in the dark man's neck.

"Thank you for loving me" he whispered.

Finn snaked an arm around the man's back and placed a hand on his chin to lift Poe's face to his. Finn tried to see beauty in everything, but this man was the most stunning creature he'd ever laid eyes on. He couldn't imagine anything more beautiful. He dragged his thumb over his dark pink lips, the man's twinkling green eyes fixed on his. 

"Poe" he breathed, and kissed his love tenderly, their Kingdom restored forever.


End file.
